I ordered a pellet smoker and am thinking that some of you must make your own rubs.
I would love to receive some instructions on how to make different rubs.
Thanks,

I use this dry rub for slow cooked pork shoulder a lot, however I don't measure anything, brown sugar, kosher salt, black pepper, sweet Hungarian Paprika or smoked paprika, granulated garlic and onion powder, ground cumin, chili powder, Coleman's dry mustard powder, cayenne pepper, sometimes Ancho chili powder. I always score the fat on the top and tie up the pork with twine then put a whole lot of rub on the pork before cooking and always make extra rub so when the meat is done and pulled apart I add more dry rub to it. For the pork shoulder I cook in the oven at 300F for 8 hours as I don't have a smoker, fat side up. This is a staple in our house. Also if the pork starts to get too much color on top cover with aluminum foil and continue to cook until meat falls apart.

Jim hit the high points. My rubs use garlic, onion powder, chili powder, paprika, salt and black pepper as a base. Equal parts garlic, onion, chili powder, and paprika, double the salt, and half the pepper. Depending on the meat or what I want that day, I add to that.

Allspice, cumin, cayenne, sugar and nutmeg gets you a Jerk rub for pork and chicken.

The base rub plus fine ground coffee, oregano, and sugar is great on wild game and beef. Also really good on steaks.

Add in lemon peel, oregano, rosemary, dill, basil, and a hint of cinnamon for a Greek rub.

For sugar use what is called Turbinado sugar. It caramelizes and burns at a high temp than white sugar or brown sugar. So you get a brown crust rather than a black burned crust.

I add, taste, add and taste, until I like the blend. The rub is put on, and I like to wrap it in saran before putting it in the refrigerator overnight, or letting it sit on the counter for an hour or two prior to cooking.

Fresh herb additions should be cut in half and then added slowly to get the flavor profile you want.

Jeremy

Damn Jim, you're making me hungry. I need to try that pork roast soon.

quote:

Damn Jim, you're making me hungry.

It's an easy recipe to do, kind of a set and forget, low and slow effort and we use this rub/pork recipe for a variety of things from sandwiches to Ramen.

Jeremy your information has the stamp of someone who has put in the time and is good to know, I had to look up the difference between Turbinado sugar versus brown sugar, brown sugar is less refined, has more moisture, a higher molasses content and is more clumpy which for my rub on the pork shoulder works well as I want to rub to stick in between all the crevices, the 300 degree cook temp is low enough that the rub doesn't burn but you still get a nice bark on it which frankly is my favorite part. As a student of the game it's always good to learn new things.

I may be getting in way over my head. Some of those ingredients I never heard of and my wife doesn't have them in her herb and spice cabinet.
I can do halving and doubling, but would be at a total loss as to what flavors the add-on items provide.
Would I be better just buying rub at a store?

Brother Bob it's too late to back out now, you are committed, just use what you have on hand, play around with the rub flavor, if you don't like what you make throw it out and buy the store bought stuff. Can't go wrong with salt/pepper/garlic powder/onion powder as a base and expand from there. You can only join the brotherhood if you try grasshopper.

Dry rubs are for amateurs!!!!
Make a spice paste. Everyone who has tried using that method does not go back. It is the crack or spice applications. Use avocado oil, peanut oil or other high smoke point oil to form a paste then rub on your meat. The oil makes the spice stick better and keeps your outside from getting too dry. Oils and fats transfer flavor the best. My “Rub” usually has lots of dark chili powder and then I get creative from there. There are so many dried chilies that you can make your own signature flavor by turning into a powder with a good blender. Toast them first to add deep rich flavor. Always be careful with the amount and type of salt you use. Never ever use iodized salt. At least use Kosher or sea salt if not the myriad of other salts. If you think salt is just salt then you are in need of an education. Salt is the base and most important thing to get right in terms of amount, dispersing, timing and type. Read what the “French Laundry Cook Book” says about salt.